Adapter device for operating a tap

ABSTRACT

An adapter device for operating a tap, having at least one support element that can be mounted in an axially variable position with respect to the tap body and at least one operating stem fitted in an axially fixed position on the support element with possibility of rotation with respect to the same.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns an adapter device for operating a tap.

A device according to the invention may be applied, for example, on tapsfor intercepting water in the ordinary hydraulic systems installed inbuildings, but it is understood that the invention is not limited in itsapplications to only water taps, nor even to the environments in whichthey may be installed.

BACKGROUND ART

In the most common hydraulic systems, the body of a tap is generallyfitted into a supporting wall before other finishing operations on thewall are carried out, for example by applying plaster, tiles, or all theworks that can involve the installing of a wall at a distance from thesupporting wall, such as walls or panels of plasterboard and the like.

At the time of installation it is good practice to bear in mind that,once the work is finished, the threaded portion of the tap body in whichthe shutoff member is housed must project by a sufficient distance toallow the mounting of a retaining and/or finishing ring-nut, as well asthe mounting of a suitable operating handle or lever on the rod thatcontrols the shutoff member.

It is therefore clear that any error in the positioning of the tap bodycan prevent the correct mounting of the retaining and/or finishingring-nut, as well as the operating handle or lever of the shutoffmember. In this case, for example, there are known some headworks (i.e.cartridges having the shutoff member therein and an operating rodprojecting from the same) provided with an operating rod that isparticularly long and divided into sectors.

The rod may be cut as required to allow the correct assembly of at leastthe handle or the operating lever, but it is clear that this is only apartial solution to the problem. In fact, if the threaded portion of thetap body does not project sufficiently from the finished surface, it isnot possible to mount any fixing and/or finishing ring-nut, thuscompromising the appearance and the quality of the installation work, ifnot even the operation of the tap.

To remedy this, long and heavy operations on the already finished workmay therefore be necessary, above all in the case where walls or panelshave been installed at a distance from the supporting wall in which thetap body is fitted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The task of the present invention is to provide a device which enablesthe solving of the above-mentioned drawbacks involved with theinstallation of taps or of sets of taps.

In view of this task, one object of the present invention is to providean adapter device which allows compensation of the tolerances ofinstallation between the body of a tap, or of a set of taps, and theexternal surface, so as to be able to correctly apply and operate thecorresponding handles or levers.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an adapter devicewhich is particularly economic and simple and quick to install. Afurther object of the present invention is to provide an adapter devicewhich can be easily applied even on taps that are already installed,without requiring radical alterations.

These objects are achieved by the present invention, which concerns anadapter device for operating a tap, of the type including means forconnecting at least one handle or lever to the rod that controls theshutoff member of the tap, characterised in that the connecting meansinclude at least one support element that can be mounted in an axiallyvariable position with respect to the tap body and at least oneoperating stem fitted in an axially fixed position on the supportelement with possibility of rotation with respect to the same.

In particular, the support element has a substantially cylindrical shapeand includes, at the end opposite the one on which the operating stem isfitted, an internally threaded portion suitable for screwing engagementonto an externally threaded portion of the tap body.

The operating stem preferably includes at least one end portion,projecting on the outside of the support element, which has a shape anddimensions such as to allow the mounting of a handle or lever and thedriving of the operating stem in rotation by the same handle or lever.At the opposite end, the operating stem includes at least one hollow endportion to receive inside it the control rod of the tap shutoff member,with driving engagement in rotation, and with possibility of axialsliding with respect to the same.

According to a possible embodiment, the support element also includesone or more threaded portions on its external surface in order to allowthe screwing on of at least one fixing and/or finishing ring-nut.Alternatively, the ring may be made in a single piece with the supportelement, or integrally coupled to it.

It is clear that the support element can be screwed onto the threadedportion of the tap body until it allows the projection of an externalthreaded portion sufficient to allow a ring-nut to be screwed on up toabutment with the external surface of the site of installation.Alternatively, the ring may be permanently fitted or pre-screwed ontothe support element, in order to allow the latter to be screwed onto thethreaded portion of the tap body until it reaches the desired axialportion, still with the ring in abutment with the external surface.

Thanks to the cavity with shape and dimensions suitable for receivingthe axially sliding rod for controlling the tap shutoff member, thecontrol rod allows the transmission of the operating movement from theprojecting portion, where the operating handle or lever is actuallymounted on the same control rod of the shutoff member.

This solution can also be applied advantageously in those cases inwhich, for aesthetic reasons, the operating handle or lever must beplaced in a position axially distant from the tap body and/or from theshutoff member associated with it, for example in cases where the tapbody is not walled up but is placed below the level of a sink or thelike, allowing only the operating handles or levers to project from thetop of the sink.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will beclearer from the following description which refers to the enclosedschematic drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view illustrating a device according to apossible embodiment of the present invention applied on a tap;

FIG. 2 is a section view of the support element of the device in FIG. 1;and

FIG. 3 is a section view of the operating stem of the device in FIG. 1.

MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a device 10 according to the present invention and aportion of a tap 1 on which the device 10 may be applied.

The tap 1 includes in particular a threaded portion 2 of the tap body inwhich is fitted for example a headwork provided with a control rod 3made in the form of a grooved shaft. All these elements are of astandardised type and are therefore easily available on the market.

A device 10 made according to the present invention essentially includesa support element 20 and a operating stem 30. The support element 20 hasa substantially cylindrical shape and includes an internally threadedportion 21 which is screwed onto the externally threaded portion 2 ofthe tap body. The support element 20 can thus be turned with respect tothe tap body 1 to vary the mutual axial position between the tap and thesupport element.

On the external surface of the support element 20 there are one or morethreaded portions, for example those indicated with the referencenumbers 24 and 25, on at least one of which may be screwed a fixingand/or finishing ring-nut 40.

Alternatively, the ring 40 may be made in a single piece with thesupport element 20, or permanently coupled to it by gluing, welding,coupling with interference fit or the like.

Referring also to FIGS. 2 and 3, it may be seen that, projecting fromthe support element 20, at the end opposite the one where there is thethreaded portion 21, there is a portion 33 of the operating stem 30having a shape and dimensions such as to allow the mounting of anoperating handle or lever of the tap. In the embodiment hererepresented, the portion 33 has the same shape and the same dimensionsas the rod for controlling the shutoff member of a standard headwork,with a threaded hole 38 intended to receive a fixing screw of the handleor lever.

It can also be seen that the operating stem 30 is inserted in acylindrical through hole 26 of the support element 20 with a projectingportion 37 of the stem 30 which rests against the wall 27 around thehole 26. Between the projecting portion 37 and the wall 27, rings orwashers may be inserted, for example to compensate the play and/or toreduce sliding friction between the contacting surfaces.

The stem 30 is held in position by a snap ring 32 (FIG. 1) housed in aspecial groove 31 of the stem 30, in such a way that it is axially fixedwith respect to the support element 20, but is able to turn with respectto the same.

The stem 30, on the side opposite the portion 33, includes a hollowportion 35 which receives inside it the control rod 3 of the tap shutoffmember. The shape and the dimensions of the hollow portion 35 are suchas to allow the axial sliding of the control rod 3 inside the hollowportion 35, as well as the driving in rotation of the control rod 3 bythe stem 30, and therefore of the handle or lever mounted on the portion33.

Various modifications may be contemplated without departing from thescope of the present invention. For example, the shape and thedimensions of the control rod 3 and of the corresponding cavity 35 canalso be different from those represented as long as driving in rotationis allowed and the possibility of axial sliding of the same.

As another alternative to the embodiment represented in FIGS. 1-3, theexternal surface of the support element 20 may include further threadedportions or, at the most, it may be entirely threaded to satisfy therequirements of particular applications.

As a further embodiment alternative to the represented one, the supportelement 20 may be without the internal thread 21 and have an internaldiameter slightly larger than the external diameter of the portion 2 ofthe tap body, so as to be able to slide axially with respect to thesame. In this case, a fixing plate may be advantageously provided, to befitted integral with the support element 20 to allow it to be fixed to asurface with known means, such as screws or the like.

1. Adapter device for operating a tap, including means for connecting atleast one handle or lever to the rod that controls the shutoff member ofsaid tap, wherein said connecting means include at least one supportelement that can be mounted in an axially variable position with respectto said tap body and at least one operating stem fitted in an axiallyfixed position on said support element with possibility of rotation withrespect to the same.
 2. A device according to claim 1, wherein saidsupport element has a substantially cylindrical shape and includes, atthe end opposite the one on which said operating stem is fitted, aninternally threaded portion suitable for screwing engagement onto anexternally threaded portion of said tap body.
 3. A device according toclaim 1, wherein said operating stem includes at least one end portionprojecting on the outside of said support element and having shape anddimensions such as to allow the mounting of a handle or lever and thedriving of said operating stem in rotation by said handle or lever.
 4. Adevice according to claim 1, wherein said operating stem includes atleast one hollow end portion, opposite said end portion projecting fromsaid support element, suitable to receive inside it the control rod ofthe shutoff member of said tap with driving engagement in rotation andwith possibility of axial sliding with respect to the same.
 5. A deviceaccording to claim 1, further including at least one fixing and/orfinishing ring on said support element.
 6. A device according to claim5, wherein said fixing and/or finishing ring is made in a single piecewith said support element.
 7. A device according to claim 5, whereinsaid fixing and/or finishing ring is permanently coupled to said supportelement by gluing, welding or forced coupling.
 8. A device according toclaim 1, wherein said support element includes one or more threadedportions on its external surface and said ring includes a threaded holeto allow the engagement by screwing onto said support element.
 9. Adevice according to claim 1, wherein said support element has asubstantially cylindrical shape with a diameter slightly larger than theexternal diameter of the body of said tap at the point corresponding tothe shutoff member of the same, so as to be able to slide axially withrespect to the body of said tap.
 10. A device according to claim 9,further including at least one fixing plate mounted on said supportelement.
 11. Tap for intercepting fluids, characterised by including anadapter device according to claim
 1. 12. Water supply set having one ormore taps for intercepting fluids, characterised by including at leastone adapter device according to claim 1.